Back to the Future day: Here’s everything you ever wanted to know

October 21, 2015 is Back to the Future day. The day Marty McFly and Doc Brown journeyed to in the much loved movies. Here is everything you need to know about the beloved films and how the world is celebrating them.

This is what the future looks like. October 21, 2015 is the date Back to the Future professor Doc Brown and Marty McFly journey to in their time-traveling DeLorean in the much-loved movie trilogy. Here we are.

The world as imagined by director Robert Zemeckis -- with hoverboards, self-lacing sneakers and flying vehicles -- seemed a long shot when Back to the Future II came out in December 1989.

Fans of the series are marking Wednesday’s landmark date by celebrating some of the predictions that came true in the futuristic saga -- and some that didn’t.

The films follow the time-travelling adventures of young Marty, a teenager living in small-town America in 1985 played by Michael J. Fox. He sets out in a DeLorean car converted to voyage the space-time continuum by his eccentric inventor friend Doc Brown.

Watch the trailer for Back to the Future here

In California, where the movies were filmed, fans dressed up as Marty will gather outside a fast food restaurant where the young hero grabs onto a pickup to speed his skateboard ride to school.

Michael J Fox and Christopher Lloyd in a still from Back to the Future.

A documentary by Jason Aron entitled Back in Time also debuts Wednesday in the United States, in which the film’s stars talk about its impact on popular culture.

Watch the trailer for the documentary here

Auto manufacturer Toyota, a favorite of the hero of the film, has jumped into the fray, too. The website features a discussion between Lloyd and Fox on the inventions imagined in the film and which became reality -- from faxes to videoconferences.

Even the White House is jumping into the anniversary, organizing online debates with specialists on the question “What does 2045 look like?”

The White House gets in on some Back to the Future action
(The White House)

Some of the futuristic gadgets shown in the movies are still being worked on, such as increasingly sophisticated prototypes of the famed hoverboard and dog-walking drones, which also feature in the film.

One joke that has long gone unnoticed outside the US resonates big-time for Americans: the success of the Chicago Cubs baseball team.

In the second instalment of the series, the team known affectionately as the “lovable losers” wins the 2015 World Series. And now to the surprise of many the team is in this year’s playoffs, one step away from the championship series -- which they last won way back in 1908.

Several companies are cashing in on the Back to the Future anniversary.

Nike is releasing a version of the self-lacing Nike Mag shoes that Marty wore in the movie and Pepsi will sell limited-edition “Pepsi Perfect” -- Marty’s soda of choice in the blockbuster series.

The self-lacing Nike shoes from Back to the Future.
(Nike)

“We are excited to be part of this moment and to bring fans something only Pepsi could deliver -- and there’s no need to wait -- the future is now,” said Lou Arbetter, Pepsico senior director of marketing.

The Future is Now, promises Pepsi.
(PepsiCo)

The bottled drink, complete with collectible case, will sell at $20.15. Just 6,500 Pepsi Perfect bottles were available, and only online.